Process of dyeing



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. FRIES, OF SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA.

PROCESS OF DYEING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,578, dated March'7, 1899.

Application filed July 29, 1898. Serial No. 687,] 83. (N0 specimens.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. FRIES, of the city of Salem, county ofForsyth, and State of North Carolina, have invented an Improvement inProcesses for Dyeing Textile Materials, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has reference to dyeing or coloring textile materials; andit consists of certain improvements, which are fully set forth in thefollowing specification.

Hy invention comprehends the dyeing or coloring of cloth preferablyas itcomes from the loom and without any previous special treatment.

More specifically considered my object is to take the gray cotton clothin a. dry condition and in long lengths and treat the same to a dyeingoperation and then immediately finishing the dyed material, whereby buta single handlin g is required. In carrying out my invention I form thecotton cloth into a large roll, it having been previously taken directfrom the loom or from a brush, and shear, if desired, and from this rollI pass the cloth through a suitable bath to give it color andstifiening. By mechanical means I force the said color through the bodyof the fabric and remove all excess of the dye or ink. The clot-h socolored is then passed over drying-cylinders.

and through calendering-rolls to give it the desired finish, after whichit is again ready for shipment. This is especiallyintended for allcharacters of fabrics where a single uni-' form tint or color isrequired and obviates largely the trouble and expense which the frequenthandling and many operations of the ordinary processes entail. Incarrying out this process it is most important that the right characterof dye or ink be employednamely, one which shall secure the combinedstiffening and immediate coloring results which are essential-and I willnow refer to that portion of my invention. The process is carried on ineither the cold or hot condition by causing the fabric to be passedthrough the ink or dye and then subjected to the action ofpressure-rolls which apply sufficient pressure to the cloth to force thedye or ink into and through the body thereof and to expel the air fromthe interstices of the fabric.

To do this, however, the dye or ink must The ordinary manner of makingan ink is not suitable for this purpose, and I therefore proceed asfollows: To about one hundred parts, by weight, of water, which may bein the cold condition, I mix approximately ten parts of starch and oneand one-half parts of caustic soda. The starch and caustic soda areseparately mixed with difierent portions of the water, and the twosolutions are then'mixed while cold. This produces a whitish pastesimilar in appearance to ordinary starch paste. On prolonged boilingthis soda-starch paste becomes a clear brown, but very stiff, tenacious,and ropy. If the ordinary boiling action be continued with the object inview of converting this stiff paste into a smooth syrupy starch-soap,there is great tendency of it becoming burned, and this is almost sureto result even with the most careful stirring. I therefore boil themixture in a closed vessel under pressure by the employment of livesteam passing through a coil immersed in the liquid or in a closedvessel jacketed with live steam, as desired. In this manner the starchmixture is readily converted into a clear brown viscous syrup, whichretains its consistency, and in this condition it is most excellentlyadapted as the basis for imparting the body to the ink or dye. Thismanner of preparing the thickening or body material is new and mostimportant. While the direct dyes maybe used with this starch syrup,theyare not fast, and hence I prefer to use the basic dyes. While inordinary use these basic dyes require a tannin and antimony or ironmordant, when used in my process and with the employment of myspeciallyprepared starch syrup they can be fixed in yarn or clothwithout tannin, since the basic dyes would be precipitated by the sodain the starch syrup or by the lime in the water used. To the syrup soprepared I also add a quantity of acetic acid, the quantity being variedto suit the dye desired. The free acetic acid becomes evaporated in thedrying process to which the yarn or cloth is subjected after be= ingdyed and leaves the basic dyes fixed and reasonably fast in and upon thefibers of the cloth. However, as some of the basic dyes are precipitatedin varying proportions by a number of salts, some of which precipitatesare soluble in clear water-as, for example,

those from the use of common saltthey are of no use in this process.Other precipitates from these basic dyes are soluble in sulfuric orhydrochloric acid; but as these acids are dangerous to use, are liableto tender the goods, and are difiicult to evaporate these substances arenot suitable. However, if we employ acetate of iron, acetate of lime, orcalcium chlorid these can be used with a number of the basic dyes, andtheir precipitates will be soluble in an excess of acetic acid, saidexcess being evaporated in the process of drying and the precipitateleft in and upon the fiber in a form insoluble in clear water and insoap. Among these basic dyes which can be employed in this manner withsatisfactory results are naphtindone, methylindone, indoine, bengaline,indol blue, garnet red, Bismarck brown,chrysoidine, auramine, andemerald green, and these all work well with this method of making thedye or ink. They can be mixed in any desired proportions to secure theproper density of color, and these various dyes may be intermixed togive an infinite'variety of shades. As there is a lack of good basicblack dye, avery fair substitute for this may be secured by employingfour parts of naphtindone, one part each of Bismarck brown, chrysoidine,and emerald green, and the tone of the black soap produced may bechanged by varying the proportions. As each finisher would make his dyesor inks to suit the work in hand, it is not practicable to set out allthe possible proportions and ingredients which might be used; but asatisfactory example may be given as follows: for the black, one hundredand fifty parts of starch syrup as prepared above, fifty parts aceticacid, fifty parts calcium chlorid, (five per cent. solution,) .750 partsnaphtindone, .375 parts Bismarck brown, .375 parts chrysoidine, and .375parts emerald green.

It is evident that the calcium chlorid may be replaced by the acetate oflime or acetate of iron, as hereinbefore pointed out.

It will be observed that in an ink or dye employed in the manner hereindescribed it is essential that it shall have not only the consistencynecessary to be capable of being treated by the rolls in such a manneras to mechanically force it through the fabric by pressure, but it shallalso have the necessary capacity for imparting the desired stiffness andbody to the fabric in its finished condition.

The process of coloring fabrics in this manner secures a material savingin the dyestuff required, because the yarn or cloth takes only as muchof the ink as is necessary to impregnate it and there are no half-spentliquors to be wasted. The pressure of the rolls removes all superfluousdye and impresses a more uniform color than is possible by the ordinarypiece-dye processes. Furthermore, the continuous and practically singleoperation of dyeing, drying, and calendering greatly reduces the laborcost of the finished article.

I have not illustrated any apparatus for carrying on my improved mannerof dyeing or coloring the fabrics; but such apparatus suitable for thepurpose is clearly and fully set out in a pending application of mine,Serial No. 687,221, filed July 29, 1890.

While I employ my improved process more particularly for dyeing thefabric in the web, it is to be understood that, if desired, I may dyeyarn in a warp or skein by suitable modification in the handlingthereof.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As a new compound for dyeing textile materials a mixture of a viscousstarchy paste composed of starch and caustic soda in semifiuidcondition, acetic acid, a substance such as acetate of lime capable ofprecipitating the basic dyes, and a basic dye, the whole forming aviscous material in the cold condition capable of producing insolubleprecipitates of the dyes and stiffening the textile material treatedupon the application of heat.

2. The process of producing a dye for textile materials which consistsin dissolving starch and caustic soda separately, then mixing thesolutions while cold, then boiling the mixture under pressure by steamheat until it becomes of a clear syrupy or viscous consistency, addingto this syrup acetic acid and a substance such as acetate of limecapable of precipitating the basic dyes while cold, and adding theretosuitable basic dyes soluble in an excess of acetic acid.

3. The process of dyeing a textile material consisting in applyingthereto a dye-ink composed of a viscous or syrupy solution composed ofstarch and caustic soda, acetic acid, a substance such as acetate oflime capable of precipitating the basic dyes, and a basic dye, forcingthe same into and through the textile fiber and expelling the air,removing the excess of the dyeing ink, heating the textile material sotreated to cause the acetic acid to be evaporated and the insoluble dyeprecipitate to be formed upon the fabric and the fabric also stiffenedat the same time by the drying of the starchy ingredients.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

JOHN W. FRIES. Witnesses A. F. PFOHL, LEDOUX SIEWERS.

ICC

